Fair Trade is an international system of doing business based on dialogue, transparency and respect. Behind these principles and goals, is a rigorous international system of monitoring, auditing and certification. But what does this really mean?
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Fair Trade guarantees a better deal for producers and workers in developing countries by protecting them from the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest and weakest. It does so by establishing the following:
- Democratically organized producer or farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Producer and farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
- Workers at Fair Trade farms and facilities enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
- With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering them to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
- Fair Trade producers, including farmers, facilities, and workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues.
- Fair Trade producers and workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvements training, and organic certification.
- Harmful agrochemicals and GMO’s are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming and processing methods that protect farmers’ and workers health while preserving valuable eco-systems for future generations
TransFair Canada, a non-profit organization, is the only independent third-party certifier of Fair Trade products within Canada and is one of 21 national initiatives under the international umbrella organization of
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). TransFair’s rigorous audit system, which tracks products from farm to finished product, verifies industry compliance with International Fair Trade criteria. TransFair allows Canadian companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet these strict Fair Trade standards. This independent consumer certification mark appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today more than 7 million people – farmers, producers, workers and their families – across 59 developing countries benefit from the international Fair Trade system.
It’s your independent guarantee that your purchase is truly benefiting the lives of producers, farmers and workers in the developing world as well as those of their families.
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